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The NFL season has finally arrived. We have survived the long months of the offseason, tracking free agent and NFL draft moves while tracking ADP. Fantasy drafts have either wrapped up or will be taking place in the next 24 hours, meaning the game we know and love is finally back.
Just because games haven’t started yet doesn’t mean that you can’t secure an all-important Week 1 victory to set the tone for your fantasy season. One way to do that is by pre-emptively attacking the waiver wire to find the best possible quarterback in Week 1.
In this article, I will look at the fantasy football waiver wire for quarterback pickups and streamers, focusing on players under 65% rostered in fantasy leagues while adding a couple of deep sleepers for two-quarterback leagues (less than 25% rostered).
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Single-QB League Waiver Wire Options
Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos
Yahoo: 55% rostered
Undoubtedly, the 2022 performance of Russell Wilson looms large in the memory of many fantasy football managers. Wilson completed just 60.5% of his passes last season for 3,524 yards and 16 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. Many managers had high expectations after the Broncos sent a massive trade package to the Seahawks before the 2022 season and were burned.
However, there are reasons to be optimistic about Wilson’s prospects during the 2022 season. New head coach Sean Payton is seen as one of the best offensive play callers in the NFL and the team returns Courtland Sutton and Greg Dulcich in the passing attack. Denver will likely be without Jerry Jeudy in their first game, but 2023 second-round pick Marvin Mims was one of the most explosive college receivers in this class.
Ultimately, a soft matchup against the Las Vegas secondary pushes Wilson over the edge for fantasy managers looking for a streaming option in Week 1. None of the Raiders' cornerback options finished within the top 40 in PFF grade in 2022 and their best player (Marcus Peters) has struggled with injuries the past few seasons.
Time will tell if Russ Wilson can bounce back in 2023, but at the very least he will have a chance to start this season off on the right foot against a bad divisional opponent.
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Yahoo: 30% rostered
There is a risk in starting Jordan Love in his first game without Aaron Rodgers. Despite the occasional game action over his career, Love comes into 2023 as an inexperienced quarterback given his years in the league. Thankfully, he gets an easy matchup against the Bears in his first game.
The Bears made some additions to their defense this offseason, but they still aren’t very good. Chicago features just one pass rusher (Yannick Ngakoue) who can get to the quarterback. New starting middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds missed most of the preseason with an injury, although he is expected to play. Chicago also features a young secondary who is starting a slot corner who struggled in 2022 (Kyler Gordon) and a 2023 second-round pick (Tyrique Stevenson). Jaquon Brisker is also questionable after dealing with an injury of his own.
Love should have plenty of time to find explosive weapons like Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Luke Musgrave in the passing attack. Any of these receivers can turn a small reception into a big play, which could be problematic for Chicago’s inexperienced defense.
Two-QB League Waiver Wire Options
Sam Howell, Washington Commanders
Yahoo: 22% rostered
No quarterback will have an easier matchup than Sam Howell in his second career start. Howell put together a solid preseason in new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s offense after a modest performance to end his rookie season. The potential loss of Terry McLaurin looms large, but it may not matter much against an Arizona Cardinals defense that is lacking any star power.
None of Arizona’s projected starting cornerbacks had a PFF grade over 69.0 in 2022. Only safety Budda Baker could even be labeled as an above-average starter in the secondary. Additionally, the Cardinals will have a wildly underwhelming pass rush after returning just 14.5 of their 36 sacks on defense from 2022.
Howell not only has the upside of mobility (he had over 1,000 career rushing yards at UNC), but he should have plenty of time to get the ball to weapons like Jahan Dotson, Antonio Gibson, and Curtis Samuel in the passing attack. He should have more than enough to put together a fast start in fantasy in 2023.
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Yahoo: 19% rostered
There is always risk in starting a rookie quarterback in their first career start, but Bryce Young could be up to the challenge. Young was the first overall pick after a prolific career as a passer with Alabama and comes into his first season with high expectations.
Thankfully, those expectations should be easy to reach in a game against a good but not great Falcons defense. Atlanta did their best to revamp their defense this offseason, but still have plenty of questions when it comes to how their defense will fit together to begin the 2023 season.
Young has plenty of weapons in the passing attack in veterans Adam Theilen and D.J. Chark along with rookie Jonathan Mingo. He’s known to distribute the ball effectively and could provide a safe floor for fantasy managers looking for stability out of the quarterback position.
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